


A Chance We've Got to Take

by redcarnations



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fake Dating, M/M, Post Revelations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-19 00:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7337089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redcarnations/pseuds/redcarnations
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo and Takumi come up with a genius plan to help bring peace to their kingdoms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Chance We've Got to Take

**Author's Note:**

> Bro We Are Teen

The library at the Hoshidan castle has a ceiling that seems to ascend forever, and rows of bookshelves that extend just as far. It’s a little cold in here, and Takumi has a blanket around his shoulders. He and Leo are in the midst of their strategy meeting, huddled over books and trying to find better ways to dissolve the rift between the people of their kingdoms.

Leo taps a finger against his cheek in thought, and Takumi continues to flip through a thick book dedicated to the principles of international diplomacy.

“We’ve done all we can to promote that our families get along just fine, what else can we do?” 

Takumi shuts the book, finding nothing of practical use.

He sighs, “All I can see is that marriage is often used to strengthen ties...but…”

Leo nods his head, “I don’t really want to play matchmaker with any of our siblings.”

He frowns, finding the thought even more disturbing now that he’s spoken it aloud. The same expression is mirrored on Takumi’s face.

The edges of Leo’s frown dig a little deeper as he considers another possibility, debating how well it would work out realistically. He reaches a conclusion, and looks up.

Takumi seems to have also come to the same realization, if his grim expression is anything to judge by.

“Go out with me,” Leo says, and Takumi nods his head.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” the Hoshidan prince says, his tone just as serious as the others. He gives a resigned sigh, “If it’s for the sake of peace, I guess we have no other choice.”

“That’s right, for the sake of a better future.” Leo’s own words sound a little hollow.

Takumi stacks up the books spread out on the table, and lightly knocks against them with a hand, “I guess these won’t be useful, we’ll be needing a different kind of reference material.”

Leo follows Takumi’s gaze to a section of the library that he never wanders into, romance.

 

They set their plan into motion a few weeks later, after having completed their research. It’s not so much that they feel satisfied with the amount of romance novels they’ve read, but rather Leo is certain that if he sees the words  _ burning passion _ one more time he’ll be tempted to set the book on fire. 

They’re standing outside, in the gardens that fill the courtyard of the Hoshido palace. Birds chirp, and flowers bloom in soft, pastel colors. But the scenery isn’t the reason this location has been chosen. Takumi peeks over Leo’s shoulder, “Are you sure you saw her here, Prince Leo?”

“Drop the prince, just Leo, remember?” He whispers in return, “Yes, Corrin’s just behind that tree.”

“Alright, then, here we go.” Takumi takes in a large breath, steeling himself. He closes his eyes, and tries to envision his role. They’ve practiced this, a few times and probably not as much as they should have. Something about the script makes Takumi’s skin crawl just a bit.

“Leo,” He says loudly after clearing his throat, “I have something I must confess to you.”

“Yes, what is it, Takumi?” Leo’s voice is at the same volume, resounding through the garden.

“I love you, I have loved you ever since I first set sight upon your silken, golden locks.” Takumi hopes his voice doesn’t sound as monotone as it feels to him. Getting the words out is hard enough, delivering them with emotion feels nigh impossible, “I love you. Please go out with me.”

Leo gasps his most theatrical gasp, but it sounds much more comical than lovestruck, “I love you too, Takumi. I will gladly go out with you.”

There’s a clattering sound behind them, something seems to have slipped out of Corrin’s hands and out onto the gravel below.

Takumi steps forward, wrapping Leo into a hug to seal the deal. If Corrin wasn’t already convinced, she should be now.

Leo whispers into his ear, “Ugh, I can’t wait to break up with you.”

 

The news has spread all throughout the grounds of the Hoshido castle well before dinner time. Leo and Takumi consider this a success, they’d been right on betting that Corrin wouldn’t be able to keep silent.

They hold a meeting with their retainers, trying to confirm how well the rumors have actually been accepted. Odin, Niles, Hinata, and Oboro are the only four who are in on the scheme, the less people who know that Takumi and Leo aren’t  _ actually _ dating, the better.

Oboro shakes her head, “What I heard is that Lord Takumi got down on his knees and proposed. Everyone is... a little skeptical of that.”

Takumi grimaces at this, while Niles doesn’t even try to hide his laughter.

“Leave it to Corrin to exaggerate everything…” Leo crosses his arms across his chest.

“That wasn’t the only rumor I heard,” Niles smirks, and Leo prepares himself for the worst, “it sounded like something only Odin could come up with.”

Odin nods his head, and then launches into a story of epic proportions, chronicling how Leo and Takumi truly met and fell in love. Takumi starts to tune him out the third time he hears the word  _ destiny _ , though Hinata looks quite enraptured.

“Ohhh, that’s cool!” Hinata exclaims, he seems to have hit it off well with Odin in the last few weeks.

Oboro frowns, “I’ll go keep look out.” 

Odin’s excitement paired with Hinata’s seems to be a little much for her. She hasn’t taken all that well to Niles either, and she mutters something about  _ boys _ as she goes to stand by the door.

“I appreciate the thought,” Leo replies to Odin, “But what can we do now to be more convincing?”

Niles gives him a nasty smirk, “Do you want my suggestion?”

Leo shudders, but Takumi hasn’t had enough time to get to know Niles, and his apprehension is lost on him.

He nods, “Please, I’m open to any suggestions, it would be a great help.” 

Niles’ grin widens, and Leo shakes his head trying to signal something, but it doesn’t stop him. He leans over the table, and whispers something into Takumi’s ear.

Takumi’s face turns red, and a sputtering sound leaves his mouth. Next to him, Leo groans, covering his eyes with a hand.

“I..I…,” He finally manages to say, the shock receding, “I can’t do that.”

“What a pity,” Niles sighs, though he sounds amused, “You would have convinced even me.”

Leo clears his throat, “Anyway.”

Takumi turns to face him, his blush slowly fading.

“We need something practical.” Leo asserts, giving Niles a look that speaks no nonsense.

“Well…” Hinata mostly thinks aloud, “You could try holding hands?”

“Yes...holding hands, that’s easy enough.” Takumi smiles, “Good idea, Hinata.”

Niles shakes his head sadly, “Just holding hands won’t cut it, how naive.”

Before he can add anything else in, Leo interrupts, “Holding hands is fine. We’ll just take it slow for now.”

 

“Alright, it’s time for our grand debut.” Takumi says, trying to build up his courage, though his tone falls a little flat. He and Leo are standing right outside the dining hall, trying to discuss last minute strategy.

Oboro had given a few helpful pointers, though nothing positive could be said for any of the other three. Leo doubts he’ll ever try to get relationship advice from Odin ever again, but at least the idea of endearing nicknames seemed feasible.  

Takumi takes Leo’s hand into his own, and then meets his eyes. Leo nods his head in affirmation, and tries to ignore the slight moistness of Takumi’s palm. Not that Leo’s is any less sweaty, what they’re about to do has the both of them nervous. 

“Right, let’s prove our acting skills.” Leo brushes back a strand of hair, “Ready?”

“Ready.”

 

All eyes are upon them as they enter into the dining hall, being given so much attention isn’t unusual, they’re royalty after all. But the whispers and some not quite as hushed talk is an entirely different matter. _ Are they going out? Are they getting married?  _

Takumi finds his place easily enough, and Leo takes a seat on the cushion beside him. On second thought, he scoots himself a little closer until their elbows nearly bump.  _ Skinship _ , Oboro had said. Leo isn’t too sure what that is, but sitting this close should suffice, right?

Takumi doesn’t seem to think so, and attempts to casually wrap an arm around Leo’s shoulders. Leo flinches, unused to such close contact that isn’t one of Elise’s tackle hugs.

“Ah, sorry.” Takumi whispers, but doesn’t remove his arm. He’s forced a smile on his face, and Leo mirrors it before replying.

“It’s alright.”

Hinoka’s had enough of watching them from a distance, and walks over, her face pale.

She sits down across from Takumi, and eyes the arm that’s slung across Leo’s shoulders as if seeing something terrifying.

“Is it...Is it true?” From the tone of her voice, it sounds as if Takumi’s contracted an incurable disease. 

Takumi leans closer to Leo, “It took us a while to realize our feelings, but…”

Leo rests his head against Takumi, and gives Hinoka a very large and very fake smile, “We couldn’t be happier to be together.”

Hinoka looks at her younger brother, studying his face. She sighs, and gets up, “As long as you’re happy, I guess it’s alright.”

She stops, as if she’s forgotten something, then fixes her gaze on Leo. He’s heard a lot about her, and has seen her impressive skill out on the battlefield. He swallows.

“Take care of my brother, alright?” This time, her voice is softer than Takumi has ever heard, and he feels a twinge of guilt at having deceived her.

He doesn’t get much time to feel bad, since as soon as Hinoka has left, Orochi slides into the unoccupied seat across from him.

There’s a smile on her face that Takumi knows he can’t trust.

“Wow, congratulations, Takumi!” She claps her hands together, and sounds so genuinely happy for him that he lets his guard down, “I can’t believe you’ve grown up this much, already got a boyfriend, huh? It feels like it was just yesterday that you were scared and hiding under my bed.”

Takumi pulls away from Leo quickly, his face reading panic. Even if they’re not actually going out, he does consider Leo to be a friend, sort of, and really doesn’t want any further embarrassing secrets to be revealed in front of him.

“D-don’t talk about that,” He glances from Leo back to Orochi, and adds in a polite “please!”

Orochi only laughs, “Why not? You were so cute back then.”

Leo grins, “I’d love to hear more.”

Takumi elbows him, “No, please, no more.”

Orochi leans closer, “I’ll tell you  _ aaall _ his funny stories later, alright?”

She laughs again, and Takumi fights the urge to run away.

“But honestly, I’m happy for you. Take good care of each other, and Prince Leo,” she pauses, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “Make sure you tuck him in every night with his teddy bear.”

And then she’s gone, slipping away as abruptly as she got there.

They have a few more visitors after that, but luckily for them, most people are content from just watching them from afar. After a while, Niles joins them, shooing spectators away, “Let’s give the lovebirds some space.”

There’s a grin on his face though, and he sits with his chin cupped in a hand, waiting for some action. When Takumi and Leo simply eat their meal, he frowns.

“Wh-what…” Leo says, putting his fork down. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Niles’ lips bend back into a smile, “But oh my, you two are simply all over each other, aren’t you?”

Takumi picks up on the hint, they’re not doing enough. He silently curses, then picks up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks.

“Say  _ aaah _ ,” he brings the morsel of food closer towards Leo, and the other boy’s face pales.

“Come on,  _ honey _ ,” Takumi’s eyes seem to plead with him, though a smile decorates the rest of his face.

Leo finally opens his mouth, accepting the bite that Takumi offers him. He smiles, “Thank you,  _ darling _ .”

He figures he should return the favor, and looks down at his own plate. Ugh, there’s all the bittermelon that he’s been avoiding. Maybe the vegetable is more suited to Hoshidan tastes? He spears a piece on to his fork, considering it two birds with one stone.

He smiles, turning towards Takumi, “Here,  _ my love _ , it’s your favorite.”

Something inside Takumi’s eyes seems to die, and his forced smile flickers for just a beat. But there’s no way getting out of it, he realizes, not without arousing suspicion. He accepts his fate, and takes the vile vegetable off of Leo’s fork. He swallows it whole, shuddering as it goes down his throat.

Takumi reaches for his glass of water, and finding it empty, takes Leo’s instead. Hey, if they’re feeding each other, drinking from the same cup should be alright.

He finally turns back to Leo, “How did you know, that really is my favorite!”

He picks up a piece of bittermelon, his motivation isn’t to keep up their lovey dovey act, but rather to exact revenge.

“I want you to have some too, since I love you so much.” He pushes the bittermelon past Leo’s lips. 

Leo sees his life flash in front of his eyes. As soon as he’s swallowed it, he gulps water down, trying to clear the taste from his mouth.

“Why, thank you,  _ my sweet _ .” Leo’s monotone is accompanied by a smile that threatens to slip any second, “That was quite nice of you. That’s what I love about you, here, have another bite.”

 

They decide to take a stroll through the garden after dinner, with Leo’s arm hooked through Takumi’s.

“I can’t believe you made me eat that,” Leo whispers angrily, leaning close to Takumi and speaking directly into his ear.

Takumi holds back a grimace, the taste of bittermelon still on his tongue, “It’s your fault, you started it.”

“I thought that you might actually like it.” Leo looks away from Takumi, instead watching as the sun slowly descends towards the horizon. Catching even a glimpse of the sun is usually impossible in Nohr, so he quite enjoys getting to see the sunset.

“We pretty much have the same tastes,” Takumi shrugs, “I guess our dislike of bittermelon is the same too.”

It’s true though, from foods all the way down to literary genres, they’ve discovered they enjoy similar things. 

Leo looks back at Takumi, his hair framed a bright gold by the setting sun. He smiles, it’s a soft expression, nothing like the smiles he’s had to force all throughout the day, “That’s right, I’m glad we can understand each other so well.”

“Y-yeah,” Leo’s sincere reply catches Takumi by surprise, he’s not used to hearing him say anything that nice. There’s his smile too, even though they’ve had quite a few enjoyable conversations, it’s his first time seeing Leo with such a genuine smile.

“Yeah,” he repeats, “But there’s still a lot we can learn from each other, let’s continue to get along well.”

 

Takumi walks Leo to the room he’s staying at, and they discuss a little of the next day’s plan before bidding each other goodnight.

There’s a small smile on Takumi’s face as he heads back towards his own room. Despite several setbacks, their plan seems to be working, their ruse effective. He can’t say he’s happy about the many ridiculous things he’s had to do, but he is definitely satisfied with how well the castle’s inhabitants have taken the news.

“Takumi.” Ryouma’s voice startles him from his thoughts, his elder brother is standing with his arms folded firmly above his chest. His expression is unreadable, and Takumi realizes it was much too soon for him to feel confident in everyone having bought his lie.

“I need to have a word with you.”

Takumi swallows, this is it. Ryouma has figured it out, and doesn’t like their plan.

He follows after him, and is led to Ryouma’s study. He takes a seat when told to, and tries to calm his nerves. Surely, he can try to convince Ryouma of their plan somehow?

The creases in between Ryouma’s eyebrows deepen, and Takumi prepares himself for the worst.

“I noticed you were acting a little strange earlier,” Ryouma starts, but his voice isn’t harsh or strict, “Are you feeling alright?”

“Y-yes! I mean, yes, I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure? I’m certain I saw you eating bittermelon, and even saying that it was your favorite?” He sounds concerned, but Takumi releases a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. 

“I’ve never understood your distaste for it, but it was truly surprising to see. Do you have a fever?”

Takumi shakes his head, “That’s not it, I didn’t want to refuse Leo. He’s much more shy than he looks, and it took him a lot of courage to offer it to me. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

It’s half the truth, but it doesn’t sit quite right with Takumi. Right now, it’s his feelings that are being hurt by telling Ryouma something that’s also half a lie.

Ryouma’s expression softens, the creases disappearing between his eyebrows. He smiles, “I see. It looks like Prince Leo will be a good influence on you. This might be a little late, but I wish you both happiness.”

Takumi looks down at his lap, feeling somewhat embarrassed, “Thank you.”

“It’s getting late, you should head to bed. Don’t stay up reading again.”

Takumi stands up, but Ryouma remembers one last thing, “Ah, I guess it is my duty as your older brother to say this, but please be safe.”

Takumi gives him a puzzled look, “I wasn’t planning on doing anything dangerous?”

Ryouma clears his throat, realizing his message has been lost on his younger brother, “Never mind.”

They’re at the library, their usual spot, Leo leans against Takumi as he reads a book.  It’s been about a week, and casual touches like this have become a lot easier for the two of them.   
There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around besides them, but Leo figures that one can never be too careful. Besides, it’s comfortable like this.   
“Ah,” Takumi says, grabbing Leo’s attention. He turns toward the other prince, who has a history book in his lap, “Did you know that the fifth king of Hoshido---”   
“Don’t spoil it for me!” Leo says, interrupting before Takumi can finish. He’s currently on the previous volume, still reading the history of the third king.    
Takumi frowns, “It’s historical fact, I can’t spoil it for you.”   
“Then, what if I told you that the fourth Nohrian king died--”   
This time Takumi gasps, “Don’t tell me!”    
He moves away from Leo, sitting at the opposite end of the sofa, upset at the greatest spoiler of all, death.   
There’s a soft sound of footsteps, and Takumi holds back a groan. He slides back over next to Leo, resting his head against his shoulder. He whispers, “This doesn’t mean I forgive you for spoiling it.”   
Leo laughs, and then slips back into character, “Whatever you say,  _ honey _ .”

Oboro appears from behind a tall row of bookshelves, “It’s fine, it’s just me.”

Takumi sits up straight, but decides to use Leo’s shoulder as an armrest. She frowns slightly, but says nothing in regards to it.

“I’ve prepared an outfit for your date,” It’s something that she takes great joy in-- having Takumi dress in the latest trends, but her voice seems to fall a little flat today. She says something else about the colors, and how they’ll complement Takumi’s hair well, but her heart doesn’t seem to be in it.

Takumi leans away from Leo, “Is everything alright, Oboro?”

“Huh?” The question seems to surprise her, and she realizes she’s been frowning the entire time. She pulls her lips into a smile, “I’m fine, thank you for asking, milord. I hope you’ll enjoy your date.”

Takumi feels uneasy, but he can’t think of any reason why Oboro, one of the people he trusts most, would lie to him so he decides to let it go.

As soon as Oboro has left, Leo turns to Takumi, “We’re going on a date?”

“I wasn’t planning to call it a date, but I guess it is.” Takumi shrugs, and then smiles, “I told you I’d take you to my favorite bookstore, right?”

Leo grins at this, “You did. I didn’t think I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to our date.”   
  



End file.
